El Pasoans may have noticed hazy skies hanging over the Borderland for the past couple of days.
The hazy conditions are actually being caused by smoke from wildfires burning more than 1,000 miles away, according to the National Weather Service.
“An upper-level high pressure system around Utah and Nevada is moving clockwise and bringing down some of that smoke up from the northwest down to our area,” said Katie Slusher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in El Paso.
Several wildfires are burning across Washington and Oregon amid drought conditions, unusually high temperatures and strong winds that have fueled destructive fires across the region.
In Spokane, three major wildfires continued burning Aug. 6, entering their sixth day after destroying hundreds of homes and other structures and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, USA TODAY reported.
The Autumn Lane Fire remained the most active of the three wildfires as of Aug. 5, although the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said crews had “successfully held the fire within its established footprint” while reinforcing containment lines.
Slusher said most of the smoke reaching the El Paso area is expected to remain high in the atmosphere.
“If you’re sensitive, maybe take some precautions,” Slusher said. “(The) smoke should stay pretty elevated, and you may not smell it, just see it.”
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: What’s causing El Paso’s hazy skies? National Weather Service explains
Reporting by Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
